The present invention relates to a skiing boot comprising a lower part provided with a sole and an upper part connected to the lower part, the upper part having a cap part and a leg.
In the case of skiing boots, in which both the upper part and the lower part are almost exculsively made from plastic, it is known to facilitate the introduction and removal of the skier's foot with respect to the skiing boot by separating the calf-side part of the leg from the remainder of the latter and constructing it as a calf part pivotably mounted in the heel area. This calf part is held together with the remainder of the leg part by at least one drawstring.
In a known skiing boot of this type (see U.S. Pat. No. 3,975,838), the pivotable calf part is drawn by a tightening strap fixed to the tibia-side part of the leg against the calf and is held together with the remainder of the leg. The drawing together or tightening and the complete, playfree pressing of the boot against the skier's foot, particularly in the vicinity of the instep, is brought about by means of a tightening device having a tightening member and arranged on the tibia side. The tightening device tightens a tightening cable running in zig-zag manner over the instep and consequently brings about the drawing together and pressing of the instep region of the skiing boot against the skier's foot.
In another known skiing boot, (U.S. Pat. No. 3,793,749), a pivotable calf part, which is also separate from the boot leg is provided and is drawn against the calf by a tightening strap fixed to the tibia side part of the leg. However, unlike in the first-mentioned construction, no use is made of a tibia side tightening device, in order to produce the tension required for a smooth tightening of the skiing boot in the instep region. Instead a pressing and tightening part is arranged in the instep region and this is connected by at least one tightening cable to the pivotable calf part. This connection, in which the tightening cable is connected in the heel area to the pivotable calf part ensures that on pivoting the latter against the skier's calf and by tightening the tightening strap, the tightening cable is tensioned. Thus, the instep side pressing and tightening part is firmly drawn onto the instep and onto the skier's foot, leading to the complete, playfree connection between the skiing boot and the skier'foot in the instep region which is necessary when skiing.
The common feature of the two aforementioned, known constructions is a tensioning member, which transfers the tightening movement for the complete playfree tensioning of the skiing boot in the instep part. In these two constructions, the tensioning or tightening element is at least one tightening cable guided by means of guides, and which is operated in the first-mentioned construction by the tightening device of the tibia side and in the second-mentioned construction by the pivotable calf part. The tightening cable with its two guides, which are either constructed as Bowden wires or as a cable positioned in guidance slots, constitutes a relatively complicated and costly component of the skiing boot, which also requires careful fitting, because the length of the tightening cable must be adaptable to different foot shapes.